by Lexa Luthor
"I had Dorlon."
Squeezing Kal's hand, Charlie suspected Kal had hidden the surge of emotions when she discovered Charlie's body at the crash site. "Maybe for moral support but not emotional support."
Kal lowered her head. "You returned to…" She paused, then said, "You returned to your body." She withdrew the journal, broke their contact, and closed the book.
"I thought it was all just a bad dream." Charlie slouched against the sofa and recalled the memories from what she assumed was the afterlife. "I was at a cabin and waiting for my parents." She released a shaky breath and asked, "Would they have shown up?"
"Ja, most likely." After straightening up, Kal tilted her head and added, "Certain spirits return to each other time and time again."
"Even across the galaxy?"
"Across the universe," Kal promised.
Charlie was comforted by the idea that she would one day see her parents again but not right now. Kal had beckoned her back to life, and she accepted it. Her spirit followed the line from the afterlife to the living, and now she was seated beside the Alpha, who was without a doubt a god in spirit. She blew out a breath and nodded once, accepting what she was learning from Kal. She set it aside for later thought and shifted mental gears to what really gnawed at her mind.
"So where does all this leave us?" Charlie chewed on her bottom lip, then shook her head. "Leave you and me." Is there even an us? We did just have a fucking emotional night of sex. She sighed at her musing and rubbed her sweaty palms on her pant legs.
"It is complicated."
Charlie huffed and replied, "You're fuckin' telling me." She toyed with her hair and pushed most of it to one side. "You wanted to knot and bite me last night." She licked her lips at the thought of their night together. "And I wanted you to do those things." Closing her eyes, she relived the memories and managed to swallow a rising moan. "What is going on with us?" She gazed up at Kal in search of help or even an explanation. "How can I make you go into a rut? I'm just a human."
"It has nothing to do with your race," Kal explained, voice lowering an octave. "It is your scent."
Shaking her head, Charlie was at a loss about their changing relationship and what it could mean for them. "If we continue down this path, it could get us both killed and probably send this planet into a civil war." She jumped and her jaw dropped open when Kal chuckled at her. "What can be funny about that?"
"Dorlon must have learned to be dramatic from you," Kal replied. After Charlie glared at her, she huffed and became stern again. "It could encourage the revolt."
Charlie recalled Dorlon's mentioning a revolt, but it appeared small so far. She suspected her assassin, Morris, was a part of it. "How is a revolt any better than a war?"
"A revolt is brief and easy to put down." Kal stretched out her legs and pulled down the pants that had bunched up between her thighs. She sighed before saying, "The Alphas are adjusting to the changes, but it takes time and pushing them."
Frowning, Charlie considered the statement and what she'd learned since returning to Kander. "Changes like the Earthlings settling on the planet and the Omegas rising up."
"Becoming equals," Kal corrected. "It will take many years for Alphas to adjust to having Omegas beside them in equal capacity. They are accustomed to protecting their Omegas, not working alongside them."
Charlie listened and smiled after understanding Kal's ultimate goal to forge equality between Alphas and Omegas. It was a huge risk that would have profound impact on the society's future. She was humbled by Kal's determination. "If men and women can do it, so can Alphas and Omegas."
Kal revealed a wolfish grin, as if she already knew the future outcome. "Ja."
"But that still doesn't resolve this thing." Charlie indicated the space between them. "Whatever this thing is with us." Then silence returned, and she shook her right leg, wishing Kal would open up again. She almost stood up, but Kal's firm hand stilled her jittery thigh.
"I promised you that I would keep fucking you until you told me to stop." Kal squeezed her lover and whispered, "And I will fight for you, protect you, and one day mate you."
Charlie was gasping. Her clit throbbed and heat pulsed in her veins, but she shook her head.
"If you wish it," Kal said in a voice that rolled with thunder.
Closing her eyes, Charlie covered Kal's hand with both of hers and held with all her strength. "I don't want you to die." She gazed up into the green eyes humming with life. "Not for me."
"If not for the one who makes me feel, then for whom?"
"Die for your people, not for me." Charlie had sworn she wouldn't cry again, but tears fell off her cheeks and landed on their joined hands. "I don't want to get you killed for…." She had no idea what it was between them, but it was strong and pulling them together, as if trying to bind them.
"Then tell me now to stop fucking you," Kal ordered, her tone growing fierce.
Charlie choked on the word that were too heavy and were slicing at her heart. Her tears stung the more she tried to will herself.
"Tell me," Kal snarled as she leaned down until her lips were near Charlie's ear. "Tell me to stop."
Charlie reached up and tangled her fingers in raven locks, as she whimpered in pain. The single Kalmarese word rojoh held a great power in each of its letters among the Kalmar. If she whispered it, she feared their entire relationship would come undone in a few ticks. "I don't want you to stop, but I don't want something to happen to you because of me." She swallowed hard and whispered, "I will take you off this planet if I have to. I swear it."
"You can always try," Kal whispered. "I would never fault you for trying." She nipped at the soft ear, earning a delightful hiss.
Charlie swiped the tears from her face and swallowed against the stiffness in her throat. She was breathing hard and wanted to melt into her lover's touch. She needed and craved Kal more each time they were together.
"Do you want me to fuck you now?"
Turning her head, Charlie captured soft lips and moaned when their tongues brushed against each other in a frantic mess. She withdrew and whispered, "Ja." She didn't have to wait, as she was lifted off the sofa into strong arms and taken near the fireplace.
Kal lowered Charlie onto the soft animal fur in front of the fire, similar to their last night in the Great Tower. She watched Kal stoke the fire to ensure they would be warm enough. Just as she reached for the waistband of her jeans, Kal was already pulling off her black top. Charlie was entranced and remained motionless while she enjoyed the show of Kal's pants coming off. In those ticks, she realized the truth that took the air from her.
I don't want her to ever stop.
Chapter 3
"Are you sure? It will be cold."
Charlie zipped on the leather jacket. "Ja. I need to go for a walk before I get cabin fever." She went over to Kal, who waited beside the front door. After they'd had sex, they napped and woke up to the last hour of daylight. The approaching winter was bringing shorter and colder days. After being in the cabin all day, Charlie needed to stretch her legs, even though it was nearly sunset.
Kal had on her long jacket but didn't bother to button it, plenty warm from the rut. She unbolted the door and allowed Charlie to go first, then sealed the cabin door. "Follow me."
Charlie assumed her lover knew a path or two around the area that they could enjoy. She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and kept pace. "How many times have you been here?" They left the open lands and followed a path through the woods that had been cut open.
"Since becoming Kal, about a dozen times."
"Maybe more before you were Kal," Charlie whispered while studying the rusty colored leaves coating the ground. She exhaled and watched the white mist form in front of her face. It was colder than she'd expected, but she was determined to take a walk. Even with the chill, it was peaceful and eased Charlie's current worries about the future. "Have you always enjoyed drawing?" she asked and almost s
lammed into Kal, who had halted in front of her.
Kal pivoted and studied Charlie, as if confused by the question. "Enjoy it?" She shook her head and continued the walk. "It's merely a means to record what I remember."
Charlie pursed her lips and walked closer. "You're a talented drawer. It's a gift to be able to draw."
"You can't put images to paper?" Kal asked, a hint of bewilderment hidden in her tone.
Chuckling, Charlie shook her head and replied, "I suck at being creative, other than maybe putting together a really good rescue plan." She shrugged and whispered, "I'm better at math or learning a new language." Her thoughts were cut off when Kal snared her, and they came to an abrupt stop. Before she could say anything, a hand covered her mouth.
Kal withdrew her hand and pointed ahead of them toward a downed tree with its roots twisted up in the air. Next to it was a furry creature larger than a fox. Its ears perked up, and its fluffy tail swooshed before it started sniffing the air. Charlie knew a locke anywhere she had always been fascinated by them since first coming to Kander. She leaned into her lover and observed the animal, stiffening when it saw them.
The locke hissed low, squatted, and crept away without every losing sight of them. Its honey brown fur was speckled with white tufts that signaled a change of season. Soon the locke would shed its darker fur for a snow-white coat for the winter. As the animal neared the end of the rotting tree, it paused and bared its teeth at them.
Charlie heard Kal's own snarl that warned the locke to back off. She wasn't concerned that anything would happen other than one predator outmatching the other. The locke's pure white eyes flashed red, then it darted off and vanished in the woods. She grinned at Kal's low puff once the minor threat was gone. "Lockes are so beautiful."
"Mischievous creatures," Kal said before taking the lead again. Their walk continued, but they soon arrived at a wider, shallower part of the creek. Along the shore side were boulders that provided a perfect sitting spot. They watched the dual suns kissing the horizon through the trees.
"So it is a little cold," Charlie admitted, pulling her legs closer to her body and hugging them to her chest. "But it's nice." She rested her chin on her knees. "I guess we should return to Tarrak tomorrow." Charlie sighed at Kal's agreeing rumble and wished they could stay hidden longer in the cabin. "It was a nice vacation while it lasted."
Kal grunted and crossed her long legs as she reached into her coat. She retrieved Charlie's most precious valuable and held it in the palm of her hand, offering it to her.
Charlie swallowed against the hard lump in her throat and asked, "You kept it on you the whole time?" She had expected Kal to stow it away somewhere without too much concern.
"It was the safest place." Kal waited for Charlie to reclaim it, her features patient.
Charlie took a deep breath and slid her fingers around it to take it back. She cradled it in her hands and ran her thumb over the cracked glass. "It was my mother's." The quake in her voice was clear. The memories from her last day on Earth bubbled up and burned behind her eyes. "And her mother's before that."
"You tell time with it," Kal said and continued studying it from her higher position next to Charlie.
"Ja," Charlie whispered. Again her thumb rubbed the glass before going down the wristband, feeling every tiny metal link. "It's called a watch."
Kal hummed, then leaned in closer and asked, "But it no longer works?"
Charlie shook her head and looked up, staring out at the creek. "It used to."
"Why haven't you fixed it?"
Charlie wiped at her left cheek to rid yet more tears today. "Because I broke it." She pulled up her hand with the watch in it. "When they blew up Earth, the shockwave hit the ship and I fell down on it." She tucked the watch into her jeans' front pocket, hiding it away again. "When Earth was destroyed, time ended anyway." She shook but not from the cold. Pulling her legs back up, she clenched her legs until her fingers hurt. "There's no point in fixing it."
Kal exhaled low, straightened up, and studied the babbling water.
"I guess we're not that different in some ways." Charlie combed her hair back before hooking her arm across her leg again. "We both have old lives that we forget." She sniffed from her runny nose, unsure whether it was the cold or her emotions. "My old name was Charlene."
Kal narrowed her eyes, then whispered, "Charlene Larson." She ignored Charlie's bulging eyes. "You told me before you died."
Charlie closed her slackened jaw and said, "That was you. That was you controlling me after I crashed." She lowered her legs and almost slid off the boulder. "I thought it was some kind of dream. But it wasn't, was it?"
Kal lowered her head and nodded before saying, "I can use the Spirit of Kalatas to manipulate a person." She sighed, then shifted her attention to the creek. "It has limitations though, especially if the person is unwilling."
"You can heal a body, bring someone back to life, and control their body." Charlie turned on the rock and faced her lover. "What else can you do with the spirit?" She waved her hand in the space between them. "I saw you sense Magnar's ship in the atmosphere."
Kal released a rumble from deep in her chest, then met Charlie's curious gaze. "What do you know about Kalatas?"
"As much as the next Earthling, I guess." Charlie shrugged and considered what she had learned about Kander's religion. "I mean Dorlon told me some things when we were kids."
Kal nodded and remained quiet for a moment, then a thin smile graced her hard features. "Kalatas is Kander." She indicated the landscape around them. "All of this is Kalatas." She touched her chest. "I am Kalatas, and so is every Alpha and Omega."
"But I'm not," Charlie whispered.
Grinning, Kal leaned in and said, "You may carry your god in you, whereas Kalmar are made from Kalatas." She placed a hand on Charlie's knee and whispered, "But you and your people are becoming Kalatas the longer you stay."
Charlie frowned and considered the explanation until it hit her low in the gut. "We drink the water here. We eat the food here. We breathe in the air."
"And now humans are being born here," Kal added.
"That's why our scent is changing," Charlie whispered.
"It has changed." Kal chuckled at Charlie's realization. She folded her arms and studied the suns' orange light cutting between the trees. "I don't carry all of Kalatas's spirit. It is much too powerful. But I am an extension of it."
"The walking and talking piece of the spirit," Charlie concluded aloud. After Kal's nod, she asked, "But does it weaken you? After you healed Dorlon, you seemed exhausted from it."
"Ja." Kal placed both hands flat against the stone and propped up her legs. "I can channel more of the spirit to do extraordinary things, but it can weaken me."
"Makes you vulnerable." Charlie now understood why Dorlon had stayed in Tarrak after she crashed on Kander. It wasn't to watch after Charlie but rather Kal, who had been drained by healing and bringing back Charlie. "So you don't use it often." She clenched her lip between her teeth and ached at knowing Kal had gone to great lengths and taken on huge risks to bring her back to life. "Tah, Sumner." She placed her hand over top of Kal's own. "I never thanked you."
Kal turned over her hand and said, "Motah."
Charlie slid her fingers between Kal's larger ones, then looked at the last bit of blood orange light streaming through the trees. "Do you feel ready to go back to Tarrak?"
"Ja, in the morning." Kal ran her thumb over Charlie's knuckles. "We should return to the cabin."
"What's for dinner?" Charlie smirked at her lover and wiggled her eyes brows. "I know what's for dessert."
Kal grunted low and chuffed after a long moment. "I should have killed the locke for dinner."
Yanking her hand free, Charlie slapped her lover in the side but yelped after being manhandled. Somehow she ended up in Kal's lap, facing each other. She gasped and settled into the warmth under her.
"You shouldn't hit me.
It could be dangerous," Kal warned her.
Charlie wasn't deterred and instead smirked. "Or you'll rough me up a bit?" She dragged her teeth along her bottom lip and teased, "I might like it."
Kal growled and lowered her head while her hand sneaked under Charlie's jacket. Her warm fingertips teased soft skin hidden under the layers. "I could hurt you accidentally."
"I might be smaller, but I'm not fragile," Charlie whispered, pride thick in her voice.
"Ja." Kal's lip curled and revealed the distinct canines. "I noticed last night." She leaned in closer and pushed away Charlie's hair on one side. "You were able to take in all of me."
Charlie moaned when moist lips burned against her throat. "Not quite all." If only she could have had Kal's knot too. She groaned at Kal's heavy rumble and wanted to sprint back to the cabin, shedding her clothes along the way. It was a great plan in her head, but they were in the cold wilderness at dusk. "Do you think you can knot me?"
"If I can, it may be painful for you." Kal nudged Charlie's jaw with her nose. "We should go."
Sighing, Charlie tilted her head back and gazed up at the darkening sky. "We should." Once they were back at the cabin, it would be their last night together in a secluded place. They were safe and free here. She hated to give it up, but people relied on Kal. If the Sworne were coming, then the planet would need their ruling god.
Kal dropped her head back too and secured her hands behind Charlie's hips.
Charlie eyes were aglow with the stars that broke through the darkness one by one. "It's so beautiful out there." She exhaled and felt her shoulders drop down, then she shifted her attention to Kal. Even if she longed for the stars, she was at peace in Kal's arms. "Come on." She slipped free and slid off the boulder, bouncing on her feet.
Kal hopped off after Charlie moved out of the way.
"I can't see much now," Charlie said, scanning the dark forest and making out a few trees. She didn't have anything to light her way, not even her techbit.
"Stay close." Kal laced their hands together and guided the way back to the path through the woods.
